Singapore, December 9 : Reigning World Champion Ding Liren defeated Indian chess grandmaster D. Gukesh in Game 12 of the FIDE World Championship and levelled the score at 6-6 on Monday, as per the International Chess Federation official website.
The Chinese player was surprised by D Gukesh's opening move in the match but Diren didn't panic and created a masterclass to defeat his opponent.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Ding reflected on his recovery as quoted by the International Chess Federation's official website, "Yesterday was a difficult game to deal with, but I tried to continue with my normal routine and be refreshed for this important game. Today I had a cup of coffee before the game, which helped me feel much more energetic, and also, I had some snacks to maintain my energy levels for the critical moment. I think I played a very good game and found some good moves."
D Gukesh also shared his thoughts on the game after losing Game 12 of the fourteen scheduled classical games.
"Although I didn't remember all the details, I was aware of the opening position. I thought I was quite comfortable after the opening, but later on, I wasn't sure what to do," he explained after the game.
"It's not pleasant to lose this game, but at least the score is tied - two more games are remaining, so let's see," the challenger concluded before he retired for the night.
After the completion of the 12 games between Liren and Gukesh, both players will rest tomorrow and will play their Game 13 of the series on Wednesday, December 11, at 5 PM local time in Singapore with Gukesh playing White.
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